


Made To Order

by deird1



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Dawnverse, Gen, season: b5
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-21
Updated: 2009-11-21
Packaged: 2017-10-03 12:50:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deird1/pseuds/deird1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Creating a whole person is complicated.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Made To Order

**Made To Order**

Memories spill over into being, forming themselves to create someone new. Someone special.  
They drop, one onto another, in a haphazard pile. Slowly they knit themselves together, and start to build a life… from the bottom up.

_My knee hurt and I cried. Buffy picked me up, and gave me a hug.  
"Shh. It's okay. Let's go ask Mom for ice-cream."_

A space is formed, between the chosen group - a space where no space was. And gently, so gently, they begin pushing a life in through the gaps.  
Well, not actually a life - not yet. More the pre-life echoes of what will soon be. The birth-pangs, if you will.

_"Is Daddy going to come back home?" Mommy cuddled me, and didn't say anything._

A lot of this may seem like unnecessary filler. But really, it is of the utmost importance.  
Life, you see, is fragile.

_Buffy's friends were watching a movie.  
The boy looked over and saw me. "Hi. You must be Dawn." He held out the bowl. "Want some popcorn?"_

Life must be whole - complete - or it will shatter in your hands.  
And so history is rewritten, not in one leap, but moment by moment. Memory by memory.  
It's all important.

_"…and the bishop goes in diagonal lines, and the knight does L shapes." I smiled. "See? I am ready to play!"  
Willow nodded. "Okay. We'll try one game. And don't worry - I'll talk you through the tricky moves."_

Even the smallest parts.

_It was really unfair, because it wasn't my bedtime yet, but Mom said "upstairs", and I went. And I couldn't even hear what they were saying. And the blond man had looked really interesting, too…_

One by one, every person is picked up, examined, and reshaped to fit the new reality. They must be subtly changed - properly fitted to protect this most precious of humanity's possessions.  
Each one of them has a role to play.

_"Hey, midget." Faith gave me a high five._

Some will guide her.

_"Dawn, this book is very rare, and very valuable. Please, don't touch it."_

Some will provide for her.

_"Morning, pumpkin. Waffles, or cereal?"_

Some will protect her.

_"Would you stop being so annoying!"_

And some will be her friends.

_Xander wore a really cool shirt that day. He's so cute! And really funny._

All these people - all these memories - will help to shape this life into what it is becoming.  
Every memory will contribute.

_If Buffy and Riley started groping on the couch again, I was going to vomit._

Every moment must fit.

_Willow smiled at me. "Dawn, this is my friend Tara."_

And this one - this person will be important.  
Very important.

_"Hi, Tara. Do you go to college with Buffy and Willow?"_

A motherless woman for a soon-to-be-motherless ~~Key~~… um… girl.  
Everyone has a role to play.

_"Buffy's out slaying things."  
Tara nodded. "I know. I thought you might want some company."  
That was kinda nice of her. And we had lots of fun watching tv together._

It is, in fact, a near-perfect fit.

_It was funny how adorable a ball of string could be in the right paws.  
"She's so cute! What's her name?"  
"Well, she doesn't really have one yet."  
"How about… um… Miss Kitty Fantastico!"_

And so the old reality is moulded to hold this friendship in place, and a college student shifts, ever so slightly, to make room in her life for a little girl.

_"Merry Christmas."  
"It's June."  
And she knew that, but she gave me the present anyway. It was a new diary - which was great because my latest one was almost full._

A little girl who isn't yet.

_"Want to go get milkshakes?"  
"Okay!"_

It's not really all that unethical.  
True, if it was they'd still do it anyway - the protection provided is so important. Much more important than letting people keep their old thoughts.

_Tara stayed over while Mom was at some gallery thing, and we made nachos._

But in this case, the mothering is already there - hidden under shyness and fears.  
All they are doing is providing someone to be mothered.

_"Bye, Tara! Bye, Willow!"  
Willow waved. "Bye, Dawnie! See you soon."  
Tara just smiled, and nodded goodbye._

…on the other side of the world, someone wakes up.  
"Willow?"  
"mmphlegnormm… Tara? Is something wrong?"  
"Did you feel that?"  
"What?"  
"Like reality just… I don't know. It was almost like my memories…"  
"mmm."  
"Willow?"  
"ymmennomph… I'm listeni…"  
Tara sits there and tries to figure it out, but everything seems normal. It was probably nothing.


End file.
